Featured Stories
The Great Renege: The GOP Roadmap to America’s Ruin Budget II
March 20, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The GOP's boy genius and Ayn Rand acolyte, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI), who gave us the GOP's Roadmap to America's Ruin Budget last year that proposed to privatize Medicare by turning it into a voucher program, is back today with his revised Roadmap to America's Ruin Budget II that reneges on the budget deal agreed to last August by setting discretionary spending lower than the agreed upon level.
As Jonathan Bernstein says, Paul Ryan's budget is not serious:
Paul Ryan’s budget for fiscal year 2013 has now been released. It isn’t that different, in basic concept, from last year’s version. It’s a public relations document, not a real, detailed budget. Not that there’s anything wrong with that; it’s a perfectly legitimate strategy in an election-year with divided-government.
But there’s nothing “serious” about this document.
How did the Arizona Daily Star overlook J.T. Ready?
March 20, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
The Sunday Arizona Daily Star published this report, Report: Border-watch movement declining:
The Minuteman border-watch movement that exploded in Southern Arizona in the last decade has virtually disappeared, says a new report [by the Southern Poverty Law Center].
* * *
In 2011, the number of groups termed by the center as “nativist extremists” — such as the Minuteman — declined by 42 percent, but at the same time the number of anti-government “Patriot” groups grew to record levels, the center said. The 1,274 extreme anti-government groups tabbed as belonging to the Patriot movement was the highest number since the center counted 858 in 1996.
* * *
Groups such as the Arizona-based Minuteman Civil Defense Corps, once the best known of this category, splintered and dissolved. The arrest of one-time Minuteman Shawna Forde, for murdering an Arivaca man and his daughter in 2009, also drove people away.
Most important, anti-illegal-immigrant actions were taken up by state legislatures and absorbed as a major concern by groups such as the tea parties and the Republican Party. Many people who once concerned themselves with border-watch activities moved on to the broader concerns of the tea-party movement, she said.
Well, today there is an investigative report by Nick Martin at Talking Points Memo that has more details than what the Star report glosses over. Extremists Go To ‘War’ In The Arizona Desert | TPMMuckraker:
Arizona became a hotbed for a certain brand of extremist groups in the past decade as it took center stage in discussion about how to handle the nation’s broken immigration system. But while a report by the nation’s leading watchdog of the extremist movement shows the numbers of so-called “border watch” groups are dwindling, some that remain have shown a surprising penchant for violence. They are armed, angry and desperate to fight in what they see as a real-life war taking place in the nation’s borderlands.
Democrats Focus in on Arizona’s Extreme ‘Tell Your Boss Why You’re On the Pill’ Bill
March 20, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
Last week, the Tea-Publican Arizona legislature took up the "Baby Blunt Amendment" that doubled-down on crazy, permitting employers to terminate contraception users on "religious or moral objections" to their private life Arizona Senate Committee Endorses 'Tell Your Boss Why You're On The Pill' Bill.
Former U.S. Surgeon General Richard Carmona wrote this opinion in response. Richard H. Carmona, M.D.: Arizona Effort to Block Contraception Simply Bad Health Policy:
A recent push to block women from getting access to contraception shows the Arizona legislature is not operating from an evidence-based or reality-based point of view.
The legislature's recent actions actively create problems rather than trying to solve them. And, at best, they are wasting our time.
Whenever I've had to make a major decision as a doctor, cop or for a company I've worked for, I ask myself: What is the value proposition here? Will my decision bring added value to the population I have the privilege to serve?
These questions are clearly not being considered by the folks I like to call the "chronic politicians" at our state capitol and in Washington.
We have real problems here in Arizona, and there are reasonable and politically possible solutions to them. But it's pretty clear that solving problems isn't what these politicians hope to do. Instead, they seem intent on scoring political points rather than solving the problem.
Trying to block women from getting access to contraception or defunding Planned Parenthood is completely nonsensical from a policy standpoint. As the 17th Surgeon General of the United States, I can say without hesitation that these bills would be bad for public health and deleterious to the health of women.
Action Alert from the Arizona AFL-CIO
March 20, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie: Action alert from the Arizona AFL-CIO: Two bills being debated this week spell trouble for AZ working families and we need you to take action. Today, the Senate Appropriations Committee will be debating Gov. Brewer’s personnel bill at 10AM, which would open the door to cronyism and hurt the services that keep … Read more
Antenori’s Amateurish Election Pitch Spreadsheet
March 19, 2012
By Michael Bryan An interesting little info-graphic from Frank Antenori's CD8/2 campaign: What pops out for me is the absolutey amateurish way this was put together. It's clearly just a spreadsheet. And just as clearly the person who threw it together has no concept of style or design, or even basic typographical competence. The font … Read more
Ron Barber to run for CD 2 congressional seat
March 19, 2012
Posted by AzBlueMeanie:
I'll put in my two cents to what David Safier posted.
I had more than one Democratic candidate tell me that Ron Barber would not run for the CD 2 congressional seat this November. Their plans to run for Congress were premised, at least in part, on the belief that Ron Barber would not be a candidate for CD 2.
I can't say that promises were made and broken. I think there were a lot of assumptions made that turned out to be wrong.
The Arizona Daily Star reports Barber to seek permanent seat in Congress:
In somewhat of a surprise announcement, Democrat Ron Barber said Monday he will run for office in the newly drawn Congressional District 2 later this year.
Barber, Rep. Gabrielle Giffords’ long time district director, is already running to complete his former boss’ term in the Congressional District 8 special election. He is running unopposed in the Democratic primary and will face one of four Republicans vying for that party’s spot in the June 12 special election.
When Barber, 66, announced on Feb. 9 he would run in the special election, he didn’t close the door on competing in the CD2 election. But it was widely speculated that Barber, who has never run for public office, would choose only to complete Giffords’ term and then return to his career behind the scenes.
After five weeks on the campaign trail, however, Barber came to the conclusion he wanted to become a full time U.S. congressman.
The question now becomes if the four other Democrats who have already committed to running in CD2 will stay in the race: state Rep. Steve Farley; state Sen. Paula Aboud; state Rep. Matt Heinz; and Nomiki Konst, a former University of Arizona student.
The candidate announcement from Nan Stockholm Walden expected last week also did not occur.
Matt de la Péna comments about TUSD visit, NY Times story
March 19, 2012
by
by David Safier (h/t to Debbie Reese. I think she should consider herself an honorary, esteemed citizen of Tucson — if she would take that as a compliment.) I wrote this morning about the NY Times article on author Matt de la Peña's visit to TUSD. I just learned he wrote about it himself. He … Read more
Barber running for CD-2 seat in November
March 19, 2012
by
by David Safier I just heard it from a political friend and had it confirmed on The Range: Ron Barber is planning to run for U.S. Rep in the newly formed Congressional District 2 after, hopefully, winning the CD-8 seat to finish out Gabby's term. Dominos are going to be falling all over the place. … Read more
